My girlfriend tells me she uses marijuana to calm herself if she is having a stressful day. She has been doing this for many years. She says smoking pot is like self-medicating — it is better than using anti-depressants. She also claims smoking pot helps with depression because of how it helps produce serotonin in the body. What is serotonin and how does it help depression? Does smoking pot really help with managing your anxiety, depression, etc.?

Are there different sugar levels in different alcoholic beverages? I am hypoglycemic and have noticed different hangover levels contingent on the sugar level of alcohol consumed. Some have told me that Scotch has the least amount of sugar of all alcoholic beverages. Since I occasionally enjoy a drink, I would appreciate knowing the lowest sugar content.

(1) I have a daughter who just joined AA. She has a drinking problem. What are our responsibilities to her as a husband, father, mother?

(2) Should any alcohol be kept in her house or our house (we are the parents) when she is around?

(3) It has been said that alcoholism runs in families — is this true? Does it seem to skip generations? If so, why?

Is it ok to drink alcohol while taking Xanax?

I frequently hear that beverages with caffeine or alcohol are not good for replenishing fluids and preventing dehydration. But in reality aren't they just a bit less effective at hydrating your body than other beverages? In other words, if you were stuck in the desert with nothing to drink but beer, coffee and cola, would you actually be worse off and die of thirst sooner if you drank these beverages versus not drinking anything at all?

I know that it is extremely dangerous to mix viagra (or other ED drugs) and poppers (amyl nitrate), and that one should wait for 24 hours after using viagra (to let it get out of your system) before using poppers. My question is what is the waiting period after using poppers before it is safe to use viagra? In other words, how long before the physiological effects of poppers wear off?